El Dorado County, Need help with 1.5 lbs of found buried mercury.

[Ed144]

I found about 1.5 pounds of mercury buried in a glass fruit jar. Is there anyone near El Dorado County that can help evaluate the mercury? I suspect it is just liquid but perhaps it has some amalgam. Should this be run through a retort? Does anyone have the experience to discern if the material should be run through a retort? Please PM me if you are interested in helping. Thanks.

 

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[et1955]

With proper protection I would run it threw a fine sieve to see if there is gold amalgam.

 

[ratled]

Even a little through a coffee filter would give you some indication what might be there

 

[Ed144]

Ok, I'll try running it through a filter of some sort. Thanks.

 

[Bquamb]

Love to see what happens when you strain the mercury. Post pics !!!

 

[Nitric]

My biggest worry before playing with it would be it's history...if anything is mixed with it, why was it buried.....It may be fine, but who knows what home experiments it may have been through. Just thoughts...

 

[MrHF]

Cant you let the surface oxidize by allowing air to hit it. If it forms a scum or oxidation layer on top it will have other heavies? Hope theres lots and lots of good stuff

 

[russau]

Cant you let the surface oxidize by allowing air to hit it. If it forms a scum or oxidation layer on top it will have other heavies? Hope theres lots and lots of good stuff

DONT DO THIS!!!! If you do you'll contaminate the surrounding area! And DONT heat it in your oven to burn off the excesses mercury.

 

[Bonaro]

Get a plastic concrete mixing tub and do all your work inside it to contain spills. Wear nitrile gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
Hg will not go thru a coffee filter easily and the filter will tear if you force it. I use a patch of nylon fabric like from a tent or wind jacket. Lay the fabric in a jar, pour in some hg then wring it out. Any solids like gold will be strained out.
Its messy, be prepared
Be sure to post back with what you find

 

[MrHF]

I was watching a deal on youtube, Cody's lab where he deals with dirty mercury. Sure all precautions should be taken but if there's other heavies wont they keep the mercury from evaporation?

 

[Gambrinus]

Use a "chamois" to squeeze the Hg through. Of course using the normal cautions when handling.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I was watching a deal on youtube, Cody's lab where he deals with dirty mercury. Sure all precautions should be taken but if there's other heavies wont they keep the mercury from evaporation?

Nope.

 

[Goldwasher]

pour it through a 20 mesh screen.

Its too cold out for it to off gas in any significant way.

You would only put what stays in the 20 mesh screen in a retort.

 

[arizau]

Use a "chamois" to squeeze the Hg through. Of course using the normal cautions when handling.

Actually historically, that was (is still in primitive mining areas?) a method of wringing excess mercury from amalgam lumps before it is fumed off with heat in a retort or in a pan over an open fire, etc. The bottle appears to be mostly if not all liquid mercury so maybe what Goldwasher said.

 

[gold tramp]

Pics don't work?

 

[Lost_Adams]

Get a plastic concrete mixing tub and do all your work inside it to contain spills. Wear nitrile gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
Hg will not go thru a coffee filter easily and the filter will tear if you force it. I use a patch of nylon fabric like from a tent or wind jacket. Lay the fabric in a jar, pour in some hg then wring it out. Any solids like gold will be strained out.
Its messy, be prepared
Be sure to post back with what you find

Do Not Use Chamois!!! You Will Not be able to get all the micro mercury out of it and it will have to be disposed of as Hazardous Waste!
I use "Rip-Stop" Nylon tent patching material. It is apx. 600mesh fine. You may be able to get some at a Fabric Store or at an Out Door Store as a tent patching kit.
Like Bonaro says use Nitrile Gloves and a plastic container to catch the Little Itty Bitty Tiny Beads (is this clear?) of Hg. If your Hg is clean enough it will coalesce back together into one big blob. If it doesn't then you will need to reconstitute it by placing in a stainless steel container with Distilled water and Table Salt solution over it. Then hook up a battery to one side of the bowl and place a piece of 12ga electric wire striped for 1/4" into the pool of Hg. The Sodium in the solution will combine with the Hg and it will coalesce back together into one big blob. Google this procedure to get it right.

When done place Hg into a Lab Grade Plastic container and put 1/2" of salt sol over it. This keeps the Hg from out gassing at Room temp, which it will do over time and contaminate the Air in a confined space. This will be a Low Grade contamination but over years you will get a dose like the old "Mad as a Hatter" saying! Hg was used to SET the Felt on the Hats they made.

You will have to take the amalgam and Retort it to Evaporate the Hg in a Retort and it will leave you with Au,Ag,and ?? in the Sponge in the container. This is what you will take to a Refiner/Gold Buyer. I would recommend AAA in Portland, Or. as Jason knows what to do. You will be charged a refining fee. And a Hazmat fee if they even do this anymore.
You may have to Melt the Dore into a Bar/Blob before they will take it. Ala Yukon Gold!!!

You will Still have all the Hg as an Impure Product that can't be used for anything except amalgamating Au from you black sands.

Do Not Burn the Hg off into the Air, even in an Open Area!!! When the Hg condenses back to Micro Droplets and fall to the ground in 20'+ you will have a Hazmat Situation on your hands, and if found out by the Powers That Be you will be charged a BIG Cleanup Fee.

Your best bet with this Crap would be to find an Old Timer who has all the equipment to do this process and would be willing to Charge/Split the proceeds.

If you want to Learn this for Yourself then I suggest you contact Action Mining in Sandy, Or. and either buy their literature or see if they will process this Crap for you!!!

Sincerely
Bill "Lost Adams"
PS I used this stuff back in the '70's and '80's while I was Dredging to clean up my cons.

 

[MrHF]

Nope.

The stuff he was using he ran out on a slide to see the evaporation rate, but said the oxide buid up (from being filled with multiple metals) actually prevented it. I think he filmed it.. Of course that was probably only that particular circumstance.

 

[mytimetoshine]

rip a little piece off a cotton ball and stick in a small funnel. if any amalgam it will stick to the cotton.

 

[JosephT]

GOLD FROM MERCURY !!!!!! Out Of Black Sand. ask Jeff Williams

 

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